


Make A Career Out Of Robbing Banks

by Billie_Kindrxd_Spirits



Category: Fall Out Boy
Genre: Attempted Murder, Attempted Sexual Assault, Boss Joe Trohman, Boss/Employee Relationship, Eating Disorders, Eventual Smut, F/M, M/M, Pete is a thief, Questioning Sexuality, Soul Punk Era Patrick Stump, Violence, bookshop au, happy ever after
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:02:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27580427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Billie_Kindrxd_Spirits/pseuds/Billie_Kindrxd_Spirits
Summary: Patrick is an innocent bookstore worker who walks into his home at exactly the right time, bumping into the most perfect thief who steals something more valuable!
Relationships: Patrick Stump/Joe Trohman, Patrick Stump/Pete Wentz
Comments: 5
Kudos: 11





	1. Woke Up On The Wrong Side Of Reality

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger Warnings!  
> Chapter 3: Sexual Harassment/Assault  
> Chapter 4: Mention of violence, guns  
> Chapter 8: Eating Disorder/Weight Loss due to not eating  
> Chapter 9: Violence/Attempted Murder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patrick’s daily routine is broken... making him very grumpy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know of any grammatical errors... I’ll correct them ASAP!

Patrick’s daily shift is standard. A 9 until 5 shift every day, every week. He has a perfect routine from working that way for so long:

He wakes up at 6am, just as the sun breaks over the horizon; has a shower for an hour, making sure he’s perfectly clean and sometimes getting lost in singing; has breakfast for 7am, making the effort to actually make breakfast, not store bought rubbish (as he would call it); he’s dried off and dressed for 7:30am, on the dot; he takes Penny out for a walk, his cute mini Pomeranian, returning precisely at 8am; waves goodbye to Penny and sets off for the 10 minute walk to work, stopping at the little coffee shop on the corner to grab his usual, which his good friend Andy, a guy too buff to be a barista Patrick thinks, has learnt by heart, even adding extra cinnamon on top of his hot chocolate with two cookies; he arrives at work precisely 8:30am and begins his working day.

But today was different, Patrick’s routine was entirely thrown off. He woke up 6:30am meaning he had to rush his shower, still finishing late at 7:10am. He eats store bought breakfast, which not only puts him in a bad mood but also tastes awful compared to his home cooked breakfast. He hasn’t managed to dry off when he throws on his work clothes that he forgot to wash, _Ew. Great now I’m going to smell!_ He takes Penny for her walk at 7:45am, arriving back home at 8:15am. He sets off for work, arriving at the coffee shop, only to find Andy is not there.

“Hey Gabe! Where’s Andy?” He calls to a giant beast of a man, Patrick swears Gabe is twice his height.

“He’s off sick, what can I get for you?”

Patrick blinks twice and glances at his watch, _8:30am_. _I should be at work by now! Ugh!_ He looks back up at Gabe, patiently waiting for Patrick’s order. “Yes, right… I would like my usual please!”

“Dude, I’m not Andy and I’m not psychic, you’ll have to tell me your order!” Patrick pulls a face, he’s really not in the mood for Gabe right now. His watch ticks over, _8:35am_. Patrick imagines punching that stupid grin off Gabe’s face but he hasn’t got time. He gives Gabe the order, and once he receives it, almost runs out of the coffee shop. _8:43am._ He takes a sip, thinking his lovely hot chocolate will make him feel better, even if Gabe only gave him one cookie instead of two. One large sip and Patrick almost sprays the drink out of his mouth. It tastes awful! He wants to wash his mouth out because Gabe ruined his favourite drink. No wonder he’s always in the office or cleaning tables, he can’t make a decent drink for shit. He throws his drink into the bin and glances at his watch, just as thunder booms over his head and rain pours. _8:49am_. And now he’s drenched.

_This day really couldn’t get any worse! I swear it couldn’t!_ Oh but it could as fate or misfortune, call it what you will, corrects him. He trudges through slush and rain water, soaking his converse, it was the first pair of shoes he could see, and making his feet wet. Patrick is one car splash away from a tantrum. A thirty year old man having a tantrum in the street. Traffic piles up and blocks the streets, making Patrick wait at every corner until he can get past. His watch burning into his wrist every time it ticks over another minute. _8:55am._

Patrick sets off at a jog until he’s stopped by a massive crowd in the street. He heard people muttering, whispering around, “she jumped off the roof.” Patrick felt bad for the girl, who’s body lay on the pavement, blood trickling across the street. He really did feel bad but he needed to get to work. He pushed his way through the people, earning angry glances and one older woman shouting “Be more respectful!”

Patrick raised his middle finger and continued pushing past, _I bet you weren’t so respectful when the girl was alive!_ He craved to stop and shout that back to the woman, but alas he was going to be late. _9:01am. Damnit!_ He set off in a jog again, reaching the bookstore at 9:05am. Five minutes late, Patrick’s heart sank.

He clocked in, and the minute his thumb left the glass of the register, his boss called him into the office. Joseph wasn’t exactly a bad boss but he wasn’t the nicest one either, Patrick hoped that Joe would cut him some slack because he was his star employee, who wouldn’t report him to HR of the company whenever Joe made inappropriate comments or advances at Patrick. Patrick prided himself at being the star employee, it meant he got a higher pay check than the others and it helped a lot to feed Patrick’s growing obsession with instruments.

Patrick dreamed of becoming a musician, and a famous one. To have his name plastered across billboards and have AMAs and VMAs lining his shelf that grows heavy with dust.

He opened the office door and sat in the seat of Joe’s clichéd office.

“Patrick, can you explain?”

Patrick was dripping water everywhere and was 5 minutes late. “I’m sorry, Sir…” Joe always smirked when people called him sir, but especially when Patrick calls him it. “…I don’t know what happened, my routine for work was messed up” _Maybe I could slightly lie “_ The thing is Penny threw up, and she kept coughing, like a lot, Sir” _If I throw Sir in more maybe he’ll cut me some slack. “_ And I couldn’t just leave her, so I had to get someone to pick her up to look after her while I was at work, Sir, and that’s why I’m five minutes late.” Patrick wasn’t completely lying, his mother had arrived to Patrick’s house, just as he was leaving for work, to pick up Penny.

Joe looked at him for a few moments and then sighed. “Patrick you’re my star employee!” Joe sat on the edge of the desk and brushed his foot against Patrick’s leg, Patrick remained still and ignored Joe’s foot.

“I know, Sir, Penny will be staying with my mother because she’s closer to a vet than I am, it won’t happen again” Joe grinned at Patrick and nodded.

“Okay, Stumph…”

“Actually it’s Stump, there’s no pronunciation on the H”

“Okay, _Stumph”_ Joe smiled slyly, ignoring Patrick’s protest, “I’ll let you off, it’s only five minutes.”

Patrick smiled back at Joe and tried to restrain himself from running out of the office, swearing that Joe will most definitely be staring at his ass as he leaves.

He brushed his forehead on his sleeve and began working. He worked extra hard because they were one staff member down and to make up for being late. Knowing he won’t get Joe off his back, he purposely bent down whenever Joe was watching him. He needed to stay on Joe’s good side, even if it meant having to act a little bit gayer, _not that there is a problem with gay, I’m just not._


	2. Trade Baby Blues For Wide Eyed Browns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patrick meets a French girl called Monica, who’s features drag him out of his grump!

Patrick continued his day as normal, his mood slowly rising as the day went on. He climbed up a ladder to put books onto a shelf, because he was only 5’ 5” and needed a ladder. As he pushed the box of books onto the shelf, a small voice squeaked up at him, making Patrick jump and fall, bringing the box with him.

“WATCH OUT!” He managed to say just as he fell, the owner of the voice that shocked him moved away as Patrick landed on his backside onto the floor, crying out in agony when the corner of the box of books lands right between his thighs.

“Oh my… are you okay, Mister…?”

“Patrick… and yeah” he groaned as he stood up.

“Are you sure you’re okay? You look like you’re in pain! I can’t imagine how that feels.”

Patrick looked… down to his surprise at the young girl who looked at him with baby blue eyes. _The most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen!_ He stared down at the girl who was just short of five foot.

She waved her hand at him, making him shake his head, snapping back into reality.

“I’m sorry…” Patrick blushed slightly, and the girl giggled.

“It’s okay, _Patrique”_ She pronounced his name with a French accent. “You’re very cute, Patrique”

Patrick stared again, smiling at her pronunciation of his name, his blush creeping across his cheekbones. “Oh… um… thank you…?”

“Moniquea”

“Monica?”

She giggled and nodded, “Yes Patrique, usually people struggle to understand my French accent!” She beamed up at Patrick.

“I had a short French course in high school, and your accent is lovely!”

Monica giggled again and Patrick felt he wanted that giggle memorised. If he died and that was the last thing he heard, he would die happy.

“Thank You, Patrique”

“Anyway, before I get fired for slacking off, how can I help you?”

“I was looking for a book on Psychologie”

“Are you studying for high school?”

Monica paused and then laughed. “Non Patrique, I am studying for Univer-city, I’m vingt-six years old, I started late because I moved from Paris to Chicago a year ago.” Patrick loved the way she pronounced Paris and Chicago. Her French accent making Paris into Parrie and Chicago into She-cargo. And she was twenty six years old, meaning she wasn’t too young for him.

“Well I can help you with that! If you’d follow me!” Patrick rounded the corner and Monica grabbed his arm, making Patrick freeze and Monica let go.

“I’m sorry Patrique, you were just walking fast, I was just trying to catch up” She smiled up at him and Patrick relaxed. He held out his hand and pretended to bow, a dorky smile plastered across his face.

“Forgive me Madame! Where are my manners” He didn’t know why he was doing that, but it was too late now. Thankfully Monica found it cute and giggled, returning Patrick’s dorkiness with a polite curtsy and smiled up at him. “You are forgiven Monsieur, but my little legs cannot keep up”

Patrick offered Monica his hand and she took it, and he continued to lead her to the correct section. The bookstore, also like a library, wasn’t too big that you could get lost, but it was big enough that without knowing the layout, you can find it hard to get the right section. Patrick noticed her hand was smooth compared to the roughness of his palm, and the calluses of his fingers from his battered guitar.

Patrick also knew that the office overlooked the entire bookstore, meaning Joe could see everything. But right now he didn’t care, all he cared about was Monica, with the smooth hands, cute accent and dazzling eyes.

He stopped in front of the psychology books and pointed to the university standardised ones. “These ones are best for University majors, these here are better for high school or college students.” Monica looked intently at them, and frowned slightly.

“Patrique, I’m afraid I will struggle to read them, they aren’t in French… so…” Patrick looked at the books and rubbed the back of his neck until an idea clicked.

“How about… you pick a book, and I’ll help you study? I’ll help you understand any words you don’t know, or you could get a French to English dictionary and then you could take them home to study.”

Monica’s eyes lit up. “Patrique, you are very smart and very kind!” She looked at the University gradings on the covers of the books and tapped on the one that was perfect for her.

“I don’t need it now, but is there anyway I could keep it here?”

“I can reserve it for you if you like! That way no one can take it until you collect it and return it”

Monica nodded. Patrick took the book from her hands politely and walked her back to the front desk. He scanned the barcode and reserved it under her name, and adjusted his glasses before placing the book in a box under the desk. Monica grabbed a business card and wrote her name and phone number down, slipping it into Patrick’s pocket and smiling. “You’re very sweet Patrique. I hope I see you again!”

With that she leans over the desk and gives Patrick a kiss on the cheek, making Patrick blush once again. She giggles and exits the bookstore and Patrick flops into the chair behind the desk. His heart is racing and his cheek still warm from his blush and the contact of Monica’s kiss.

He reached under the desk and pulled out Monica’s book. _Yes. Monica’s book. That sounds just right._ And flipped it over to look at the back. What if he bought it so she could keep it forever. He could write an inscription on the inside cover.

That’s when the small letters on the back cover hit him. **Available in French, German, Polish and Spanish.** Patrick pushed the chair up to the computer on the desk, not caring about the still sore pain from the box of books, he’d forgotten about it because of Monica. He couldn’t type any quicker. His eyes scanning the screen for the French version. _If I got the French version for Monica, she’d be so happy because she would understand it better!_ That’s when he saw it. The French version, and in bold letters beneath it: **THREE REMAINING IN STOCK.** Patrick knew he shouldn’t use the bookstore’s business account to purchase personal items. But he pressed **Buy Now** instinctively.

It will arrive in twenty-four hours. _Good!_ That’s when Joe shouted him back to the office. He was for sure going to be fired, but at least he managed to get that book with the 50% discount that the store has on every book website. _Monica will love it!_

_“PATRICK!!!”_ He sighed happily, he didn’t care what happened next.


	3. Fuck You, You Can Go Cry Me An Ocean

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patrick’s boss does something and it ends badly... Poor Patrick!

“PATRICKKKKKK!!!” Joe howled, and Patrick began the climb of the stairs to the office. He knocked on the door and Joe’s slightly angry face greeted him.

“Sorry Sir, I was just dealing with a customer!”

Joe stood up and slammed his hands on the desk. He pointed his finger out at Patrick.

“WHY DO I HAVE AN EMAIL SAYING WE BOUGHT THREE BOOKS IN FRENCH FOR PSYCHOLOGY?!”

“May I explain?” Patrick asked.

“PLEASE FUCKING DO!”

Patrick pointed to the chair in front of the desk and Joe nodded as permission for him to sit down. Joe too sat back in his seat.

“Sir, I know that we are in competition with Lux Books across the street, and I know you want to get a better reputation after what happened with Dallon, Sir”

Joe’s face contorted slightly, “listen _Stumph_ , ex staff members are not to be discussed! What Dallon did was inexcusable! And if I find out you did the same with that bushy haired brunett—”

“Monica, Sir, her name is Monica”

“I DON’T CARE WHAT HER NAME WAS!”

“And I swear Sir, we didn’t Y’know…”

“So you didn’t fuck her?!”

“No! I would never! I would never ever repeat what Dallon did, Sir!”

Joe nodded gruffly and looked at Patrick, waiting for him to finish explaining.

“Anyway Sir, I bought those books because Monica is French, and if we provide her with a book in her native language, I thought it would be good for reviews! I bet Lux would just throw a French to English dictionary and expect them to learn themselves!”

Joe listened intently and thought about it. Patrick knew he had convinced Joe. Eventually Joe relaxed.

“You make a good point, Stumph. Fine! I’ll let you have control of all transactions regarding books now… like you said, for good reviews!”

“Thank you, Sir!” Patrick went to stand up, but Joe blocked his path.

“Did I say you could leave, Stumph?” Joe grinned wolfishly.

Patrick backed away slowly, whatever was going to happen, he didn’t like the idea, and wanted to escape it before anything happened.

Unfortunately Joe was quicker. He had already slammed the door shut, and Patrick could feel the door handle digging into his back when Joe flattened his palms either side of Patrick’s head. Patrick began to sweat, which just made Joe look at him hungrier.

“Now, Now… We wouldn’t want a HR report now, would we, Stumph?”

Patrick’s throat had dried and he swears it’s swollen up. Maybe he could fake an asthma attack to escape this.

“It’s a huge shame that you think you’re straight, because any guy would be extremely lucky to have you! Why do you waste effort on women, Stumph? You could have a charming guy like me!”

Patrick really couldn’t breathe, Joe was way too close and he didn’t like what Joe was doing.

Joe towered over Patrick with a whole five inches. Almost half a foot. Just short of a fifteen centimetre ruler. And that terrified Patrick.

Joe began rubbing Patrick’s arm.

“See, I actually like you, unlike that pathetic little French girl! I could give you so much more!”

“Sir, honestly I’m flattered but I’m not g—”

“You just haven’t opened yourself up to the possibility that you could be!”

“IM NOT GAY!” Patrick squeaked, his voice going at least two octaves higher. Patrick believes he’s not gay! At least, he’s never seen a guy who he’s been attracted to. But he knows he’s not attracted to his boss.

_I don’t want to hurt Joe, but if I did kick him in the balls, surely I’d be justified for it! This is harassment… isn’t it? How do I get out of this peacefully?_ Patrick stared over Joe’s shoulder, at the clock.

Joe rubbed his face and that’s when Patrick spotted it. _A wedding ring! He IS married… should I use that against him? Could I use that against him?_

Patrick was so wrapped up in his thoughts to realise that Joe was leaning his head closer to him. He was an inch away and Patrick began hyperventilating, panicking. _Could I headbutt him? Should I headbutt him?_

_Sho—_ Too late! Joe was now forcing his tongue down Patrick’s throat, and Patrick wanted to gag. His body was acting on instinct and he continued to try and push Joe away. Joe was too strong, but Patrick kept trying. Joe pressed his entire body against Patrick’s small frame, crushing Patrick’s hands between them, stopping his attempts at pushing Joe away.

_PLEASE STOP! I DON’T WANT THIS! PLEASE LET ME GO!_ Patrick’s head screamed, as if Joe was psychic and could read his thoughts.

Joe eventually pulled away and rubbed down Patrick’s back, getting lower and lower…

“Now that wasn’t too bad, was it?” Joe grinned. If he had noticed Patrick going paler, then he did a good job at not saying anything about it. Joe grabbed possessively at Patrick’s ass. “Now you’re mine Stumph, mine to do whatever I want with!”

Patrick wanted to die right there.

“Yo—” Joe screamed out in pain as Patrick’s angry kneecap collided with his balls. Joe dropped onto the floor and cried out in pain.

Patrick flooded with confidence, and yelled down at him.

“THAT WAS SEXUAL HARASSMENT! AND SEXUAL ASSAULT! AND I WILL BE REPORTING TO HR! I HOPE YOU ROT IN HELL JOSEPH!” Patrick ran from the office, two steps at a time. Already he had his phone out. It was 3pm meaning HR will still be accessible.

He dialled the number, the shock setting in and tears streaming from his eyes. A friendly sounding voice picked up the phone. “Hello Human Resources for James and Co. Books, my name is Liza, how can I help you?”

“M-My name is Patrick S-Stump, I work for this company and I need to file a complaint against my boss.”

“And what is the complaint regarding?”

“Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault against me”

“Just a second dear.” Patrick could hear the clicking of a computer keyboard. James and Co. is a huge company and HR has a log of every employee. “Patrick Stump, you say? You’re working under Mr. Joseph Trohman, am I correct?”

“Y-Yes” Patrick glanced round, anxious that Joe could be coming to get him.

“I have the record here… now could you tell me what happened?”

Patrick took a deep shaky breath.

“It’s okay Dear, just relax and take your time!”

Patrick took another breath and began to recount everything. Exactly how it happened, including his thoughts, including Monica but keeping her name confidential. To HR, Monica was just “a girl” no name or anything too descriptive. He could hear the keyboard clicking as the HR officer wrote down every word Patrick said. Liza typed so quickly that she didn’t have to pause Patrick to keep up.

Once Patrick began to finish, his words were getting almost too hard to understand from crying.

A sleek black car pulled up in front of him and Liza began instructing him what to do. She told him that the car would bring him to the HR office and that a police car will be there to detain Joe once Patrick is away from there.

Patrick didn’t want to mess about, he jumped straight in the car and dialled his mother. He told her everything and she immediately asked for the address for the HR office, which Patrick gave her after asking the driver. His mother was waiting for him when they pulled up to the HR office and he immediately jumped to her.

She hugged her son tightly and they walked into HR. Rage contorted her face with concern. Patrick clung to his mother like life support.

Sat in the office, Liza explained that Joe had been arrested, and that until someone else can replace him, Patrick will have to run the bookstore on his own. He sniffled as his mother drove him home. Of course winter made it dark outside already. It’s only 6pm.

He hugged his mother before getting out of the car, and walking to his door, as his mother drove off. As always on the rare occasions that she is in the neighbourhood and can pick him up, she lingers until Patrick gets to the door, and drives off, constantly checking her mirror to make sure nothing happens.

Patrick fiddled for his keys, realising he left them in the staff room at work. _Damnit! Where’s the spare key?_ That’s is when he fully noticed the door. The handle was busted, shattered into three large chunks. It was only slightly open, enough that on close inspection you could see it was open, but if you weren’t paying attention, like Patrick, or were at a distance, you wouldn’t see it. The unsettled hair rose once again as Patrick pushed on the door. _Don’t go in. Don’t go in. Don’t go in._ Patrick wished he had access to a baseball bat or something. But of course he didn’t own one because “I don’t sport” as he says.


	4. And Just One Mistake Is All It Will Take

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patrick meets Pete, a stunning should-be-supermodel thief.

****

The house was eerily quiet. Penny was at his mother’s so she was safe. The first thing he saw when he walked, well creeped, into the living room was his battered guitar still on its stand. _Of course no one in their right mind would take you! You’re borderline useless._ Despite hating the condition his passed down guitar was, at least it meant that any thief would look at it and think it’s too broken to be of value. But it was of value to Patrick. It was his father’s. And he was given it for his eleventh birthday, he’s had it for almost twenty years!

He looked around to see if anything else was missing. Nothing. He began a quiet climb up the stairs. His hands still shook, his nerves growing more scared and anxious as he reached the dark hallway.

A sudden force, like a freight train, slammed into the hallway wall. He felt his throat being restricted by something, whatever it was, it was warm and oddly Patrick liked it. He could feel something cold against his stomach, and made the smallest yelp.

“Don’t say a word!”

Although the voice was masculine, Patrick couldn’t help be think about how soothing it sounded. Instead of scared, he felt warm and safe just from that sound. If the owner of the voice was anything like the sound of it, they must be extremely good-looking.

_I can think a guy is good looking without it being homosexual, right? I’m not gay. I’m not._ Patrick stayed deadly still, not resisting because of the cold against his stomach.

“I have a gun, and you are not going to move!”

Patrick once again felt soothed rather than scared. If this thief has a gun, then if Joe comes after him, at least he’s safe. That’s when his words slipped out.

“Please, I promise I won’t move or shout or scream, just please release my neck, it’s very hard to breathe!”

Slowly

Slowly he felt the pressure peeling off his neck. And Patrick dropped to his knees coughing and heaving large breaths in. The coldness from his stomach was now on his forehead. And Patrick looked up, hands raised, “I won’t do anything! I swear!”

A car drove past his house. The headlights clearly on full beam as the light slithered in through the window. It was for only a brief moment but Patrick still got a good look at the thief. And Patrick melted. He was an ice cream in a summer day. Because the man, it was definitely a man, was absolutely stunning.

Patrick stared at him, although he was now back to a silhouette, he could still see the golden caramel of his skin tone. And he loved it. It was like a perfect tan, which made Patrick slightly jealous because of his paleness.

He had seen the glint of golden brown, like topaz, of his eyes and it burned into his retinas. _I shouldn’t be thinking like this! I’m not gay. I’m straight! I like girls. But he’s gorgeous! But he’s a man. Not a woman._

_But gay isn’t frowned upon. But I’m straight…aren’t I?_

Patrick longer to just reach over and flick the light switch, to see the man in full. _Why do I want to see him so badly? I mean he is phenomenally gorgeous. No shush Patrick! You’re straight! Remember Monica, the French girl?_ After a long think, Patrick realised he didn’t actually want Monica, he just thought she was pretty, compared to the gorgeous man in front of him, even if that same man has a gun pointing at his head.

He needed a plan. To get off his knees, despite having a rushing thought about doing an indecent act upon this man which involved him being on his knees, and to get the lights on.

“Um… my neighbours saw me come in, if the lights stay off they’ll get worried. I won’t do anything, but maybe I should make it seem as though everything is normal?”

The thief allowed Patrick to stand up. And that’s when the plan began. Patrick glued the handled the front door together on the basis that “if the neighbours got worried and saw this they’d ring the police!” To which the thief obliged. He switched the lights on, after locking the door, and stared at the man before him.

_Only a few inches taller than me… Short, neat black hair… Hazel eyes… Caramel-golden skin tone… Oh My God! This man is drool worthy!_ Patrick let his eyes wander down the plain black shirt to the tight fitted jeans to the jet black converse. Patrick stared, completely dumbfounded by both the beauty of the thief, and why he was so **_attracted_** to him.

The thief followed Patrick’s gaze. Looking down to his jeans, he knew exactly where Patrick was looking and he grinned at it, snapping his head back up and lowering the gun.

“See something you like?”

Blissfully unaware, his mouth responded without him thinking. “Yes. Very much so… how on Earth are you a thief? You should be a supermodel!” The minute Patrick woke up from his daze, he blushed furiously. “I mean… um… I’m not… You’re… IM NOT GAY!” Patrick shouted the last three words, his blush contradicting his words.

The thief, god Patrick wishes he knew his name, grinned a wolffish smirk. “Of course you’re straight! There is obviously a reasonable explanation why you were staring at my crotch”

Patrick swears his throat swells, making his voice reach an octave he didn’t know it could reach. “I didn’t… I wasn’t… I’m sorry thief… man… dude… person…” _Why can’t the ground swallow me up?_

“Pete”

“Guy.. Pete…” Patrick froze. Confusion running across his face. “Pete?”

“That is my name”

“Y-You’re a thief… and you just told me your name? What if—”

“What can I say? It seems I like you, and I trust you won’t report me to the police” He waved his gun carelessly and threw it down on the kitchen table. Pete walked Patrick backwards until his back was pressed to the wall, reaching up to hold Patrick’s jaw and looking him up and down.

“Cute, let me guess, you work somewhere boring like a library?”

“A bookstore”

“Ah, same thing!”

Patrick gulped and Pete grinned as he felt the movement of Patrick’s throat.

“Nervous? Scared?” After saying so, his face flashed in confusion. “Why?”

Patrick glanced over at the gun on the table and Pete followed his gaze.

“Oh… OH! This!” He picked up the gun and Patrick squeaked. “This here… is fake! See!” He slammed the gun down against the edge of the table causing it to smash, with a plastic-y crack. “Plastic, see! It was just for effect.”

He looked Patrick up and down again. His eyes hungry. Patrick stayed firmly against the wall. “Look… I’m actually disappointed that the gun is fake”

“Oh? And why is that? You like danger?” Pete grinned the same wolffish grin from before and Patrick could feel his knees weakening. He’s never felt his knees weaken like this before, and he found it completely unfair that it was happening because of a guy. Because of Pete.

“No… it’s just… today my boss sexually assaulted me, and when I kicked to get free, I swear there was a look on their face that said they were going to come after me.” At the words “sexual assault” Pete released his hand from Patrick’s jaw, and Patrick shivered, whimpering because he missed the feeling of Pete’s fingers.

“And you thought if they turned up you could use the gun in self defence?”

Patrick nodded “yea— wait self defence, for a thief you know a lot about law!”

“Political Science Major in college. What about you?”

“A-Are you making small talk?”

“Yes, because I would very much like to kiss you, but I guessed that entering the scene as a thief with a gun, it might not be so easy to just go for it without being punched in the face!”

“K-Kiss me?” Patrick was repeating it more to himself than to Pete, but his mind and heart flipped at the idea. Usually he’d gag at the thought of kissing another man. But for Pete, his mouth dried and his voice raised again, and he was definitely not appalled by the thought of Pete kissing him.

Pete leaned closer to Patrick, a wisp of a breath away from connecting their bodies by the simple form of a kiss. “Yes… I would like to very much! You are a very interesting person, and extremely cute”

Patrick could feel his blush rising again and Pete closed the distance.

Unlike Joe’s kiss, this was soft, Pete even licked across Patrick’s lip for permission before Patrick opened his mouth. _All access! Just for Pete._

It felt right to Patrick. Like the kiss could explode the stars.


	5. Landing On A Runway In Chicago

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patrick is flying high on bliss... spoiler alert it’s about to get smutty!

****

Patrick felt as though he was flying. He didn’t want it to end. _Fuck it! I don’t care if I’m not classed as straight anymore, Pete is just—_ His thoughts were cut off when Pete shrugged out of his leather jacket, exposing sleeves of tattoos. Patrick wanted to learn every single line. Every single curve. Every dot.

Pete pressed on. As if he was tasting every part of Patrick’s mouth. Learning every bump of his teeth, every point and line. Patrick felt faint and his knees began to collapse from underneath him. The room, the whole world even, felt like it was turning around the point of them. Spinning from the space of the kitchen floor where their feet tangled.

_This is it! This is how I die! Asphyxiation by kissing a gorgeous man._ Patrick could feel his feet slipping, his weight sliding down the wall. He slid and Pete wrapped his arms around him, keeping him upright and gently, painfully slowly in Patrick’s opinion, broke off the kiss. Although he was panting for air, Patrick whimpered and leaned forward, trying to join back to it. _Why did he have to end it? Why? Did I do something wrong?_ He pulled on Pete’s shirt, but he didn’t move. It was like trying to pull a wall of concrete.

Pete leaned in again, curling round to Patrick’s neck, earning a squeal of shock and agreement from Patrick’s lips. He felt like every nerve was on fire. Pete pulled him from the wall, sucking on Patrick’s neck like he was drinking in his scent, pushing everything off the table and lifting Patrick up onto the table top. Pete stood at Patrick’s knees and struggled to remove Patrick’s cardigan. Patrick grinned and wrapped his arms around Pete’s waist, and pulled as hard as he could. Pete landed between Patrick’s thighs and continued working on his neck, both groaning in approval.

Pete pulled Patrick’s cardigan off with ease and simultaneously let their hands roam free. Pete working his hands into Patrick’s hair and Patrick pulling on Pete’s belt. Everything else, all the sounds, all the lights, everything around them didn’t matter anymore. The police could turn up to see them and assume there was a domestic fight that is now resolved and Patrick wouldn’t care if the neighbours watched from the doorway. _Fuck! Fuck it all I don’t care what happens now! This feels too right to stop!_

Pete stopped and whispered, muttering the question of where’s the bedroom into Patrick’s ear. Patrick shuddered and grinned, grabbing Pete’s collar and pulling him up the stairs, Pete grinning the entire way.

Patrick released Pete’s collar and sat on the tops steps, wiggling his finger to Pete. The grin on Pete’s face grew wider as he climbed up the stairs, crawling between Patrick’s thighs again and sliding his hands under Patrick’s ass.

Pete lifted Patrick, who wrapped his legs around Pete’s waist. Running his hands through his hair, Pete leant against the wall as Patrick kissed Pete, this time he roamed his tongue through Pete’s mouth, and Pete grinned, grabbing Patrick’s tongue with his teeth. Patrick felt something hard against his tongue, _a tongue piercing! Oh my… Pete has a tongue piercing!_

Patrick then felt something hard against his thigh. He resisted the urge to react down and grab, digging his hands deeper into Pete’s hair.

Patrick soon felt the springy comfortable material of his King size mattress. _Plenty of space for us!_ Pete landed over him, enclosing Patrick between the mattress and himself. He made quick work of his shirt, tearing it off, “I’ll just wear my jacket home!” The thought of Pete leaving made Patrick frown, but the overriding thought of Pete shirtless in a leather jacket made him groan in agreement. _Such a fucking tease Pete!_ Patrick’s mouth watered at the thought, a clear turn on for him, which if he manages to keep Pete, he will be insisting he wears that exact thing everyday!

Pete made his way to Patrick’s jeans. He knew exactly how tight his jeans were. They were a way that was so revealing, he might as well not be wearing jeans. And clearly Pete’s mind agreed as he used his teeth to undo Patrick’s belt buckle and then the zipper of his jeans.

Patrick instinctively raised his hips, slamming Pete’s face into his lower stomach. _Stop fucking teasing me!_ Patrick squirmed beneath him as he shuffled his jeans off his legs. Revealing his thighs to the raptors that were Pete’s eyes, he watched as Pete ate him up with his hazel circles, deep and hungry with desire. _I swear that they gleam when he looks at me!_

Pete’s hands dragged up Patrick’s thighs, and Patrick whimpered. It was a sweet sound to Pete’s ears.

“Roll over!” And Patrick happily obligated. Pete wiggled his way between Patrick’s hips, they were both thoroughly naked except for Pete’s boxers.

“What are you going to do?”

“You say that like it’s your first time!” Patrick blushed. Did he forget to tell Pete that he was a virgin? Before he could protest and tell him, Pete was dragging his tongue over Patrick’s ass. Left cheek, bite, lick, right cheek, bite, lick. A steady rhythm making Patrick clench and unclench, squeal and sigh.

It was a perfect rhythm, a very perfect rhythm that Patrick was going to remember, he could make that rhythm into a song and give it to Pete. That way it’s forever burned into Pete’s head that he’s taking something that doesn’t belong to him. Stealing from him. _Just like a thief! I never thought he would live up to that title._

And just like that the rhythm stopped, replaced by a new rhythm and the frantic shrieks, moans and shudders from Patrick as Pete ate him out. Patrick’s knuckles were white as he gripped the bedsheets. Pete, nose deep in Patrick’s ass, lapped his tongue piercing against Patrick’s small ring of muscle and earned pleasurable squeals, both to listen to and to know where they’re coming from. His eyes darkened with hunger as he pressed his finger next to his tongue. The sounds coming from Patrick were almost feral.

Patrick twisted his arm back and yanked on Pete’s hair. Pulling and twisting Pete’s jet black locks, Patrick moaned out “Peeeeeeeteee! The fun is… ahhh… is going to be… oooh… be over! PLEEEEAAASSSEEE!”

Pete’s animal instinct took over and he opened Patrick’s bedside drawer, knowing full well that’s the best place to store… his hand hit empty nothingness.

“Yo—… where’s the lubricant?”

Patrick’s eyes widened, “I don’t have any…” his blush was returning, and Pete rolled his eyes. Fumbling for his jeans he pulled out a one use packet and wafted it in front of Patrick’s eyes “it’s a good job I’m prepared”

“I WASN’T EXPECTING TO NEED IT! I WAS STRAIGHT AND SINGLE! NOBODY WAS GOING TO FUCK THE STUPID DORK FROM THE BOOKSTORE!” Patrick spat his words at him, and moaned when Pete pushed his bare finger into Patrick’s ass.

“But still… what about when you’re jacking off? Surel—”

Patrick’s blush told Pete everything.

“You don’t masturbate, do you?”

Patrick buried his face into the mattress and shook his head. Which earned a comforting stroke of the back. “It’s okay! Not everyone does it!”

Patrick still wanted the ground to swallow him up.

Pete hugged Patrick and mumbled in his ear. “It’s okay, Love, it’s perfectly okay, I won’t judge you for it!”

Patrick’s mind ticked over. _There’s no way someone could meet me for less than three hours and love me enough to want to do this. Something doesn’t feel right._

Pete grabbed Patrick’s arm, who suddenly felt self conscious and pulled away. Patrick began panicking, hyperventilating and curling up. _Fucking panic attacks. They ruin everything!_ Pete kept a distance but held his hands up, trying to comfort Patrick.

“Hey Love, you’re okay!”

“I-It’s just been a long time since my last partner and I’m a—”

“Shhh… it’s okay!” He moved beside Patrick and pulled his head into his chest. “We don’t have to! If just sitting and cuddling is what you need then we will do that… we don’t have to jump straight into this!”

There was a long pause before Pete spoke again. This time it was him who pulled away from Patrick. Reaching for his jeans, Patrick placed a hand on his shoulder and Pete sighed.


	6. We’re Only Liars But We’re The Best

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patrick learns a secret, but despite the secret he wants Pete. He feels bound to him!

****

“Pete?” Patrick rubbed Pete’s shoulder.

Pete grabbed Patrick’s hand and rubbed the back of it with his thumb.

“There’s something I need to tell you, and you will most definitely hate me for it.”

“Pete please tell me.”

Pete leaned forward over the edge of the bed, his arms hanging limp on his knees.

“I’m sorry.”

“Why?”

Pete sighed again, “I came to here… to your house… on purpose…”

“What do you mean?”

“I was hired to break into your home and scare you. But the minute you spoke to me, I couldn’t do it!”

Patrick’s mind began putting pieces together. “Who hired you?”

Pete winced, knowing that the answer would have him thrown out, or that he would never see the most perfect man ever again.

“I was given just this address, no name or description…”

“Pete, WHO hired you?”

“Joseph Trohman”

Patrick recoiled back. He felt manipulated. Felt unclean. “Get out”

“Please Love! I stopped because I couldn’t do it! If I could go back and change the way I met you, I swear to you I would change the way we met. I would rather have walked into your bookstore and met you that way!”

“GET OUT! GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!”

Pete reached for Patrick’s hand, but Patrick jerked away. The sudden movement punching low in Pete’s gut.

Pete began grabbing his clothes, pulling his jeans on and shrugging his leather jacket.

“Just so you know, Love, if I had known what you were like before this happened, I never would have agreed to do this.”

And with that Pete sulked out of the room. Patrick listened to his steps down the stairs. He wanted to run after him. To tell him to stay. The urge growing with every step that Pete took down his stairs.

Yes Pete did wrong. But he didn’t treat Patrick like Joe did. He treated him with respect, asking permission before he shoved his tongue down his throat, being careful with him. Offering to just sit and cuddle when his panic attack rose.

And Pete stopped and was honest before they did anything irreversible. Patrick heard the door slam. And that’s when it hit him. Pete is not Joe.

Pete is NOT Joe. _PETE IS NOT JOE! Patrick Martin Stump, you fucking idiot!_

_He’s so much better than Joe and you just let him leave._

Patrick decided he didn’t want to Pete to leave. He pulled on his clothes. He was going to find Pete. That was a certainty.

He WAS going to look for Pete until he couldn’t look any further.

He pulled on a jacket and looked. “If you’re looking for that tall handsome lad, he headed that way, toward Lake Michigan” Having lived in Chicago his entire life, he knew it like the back of his hand, but Patrick also knew that there’s always two bars and at least on coffee shop open after 8pm.

Turning up his collar up, the wind ruffled his blonde hair as he walked towards Lake Michigan. He checked four bars, and every coffee shop. His watch beeped 9pm. _You aren’t going to find him Patrick…_

He should give up. He has to give up. But he won’t. He will look in one more place, HE WILL! His mind set on finding Pete. He will look in one more place, then return home so he can sleep.His body was screaming at him because of how cold it was, and how tired he was. He peeked through a window of a bar, and there he saw it Pete. Sitting in a corner. Sipping on some sort of drink, _I guess it’s the kind of drink that you have when you’ve just broken up with someone._

Patrick felt a pang of guilt. _Come on Patrick, just walk up to him and tell him to come back._ Patrick nodded stiffly and walked in, on a confident march, up to Pete’s table.

“Pete?”

Pete looked sunken. He didn’t raise his head.

“Hello…” it was mumbled in the noise of the bar but Patrick still heard it.

“Pete?”

Patrick tapped his shoulder with a long (extremely pale) index finger, it was only the contact of his finger that made him look up.

“Love?... I mean…”

“Patrick… my name is Patrick!”

“I’m sorry, I never asked before… but what are you doing here?”

“I came to find you! I have to tell y—”

“You need to leave! You can’t be here, you need to le—”

“So…” both Pete and Patrick froze. The figure walked up to Pete and looked straight at Patrick. “You managed to lure him here? Well you are good aren’t you!” The sly grin that Patrick did not miss greeted him.

“Well _Stumph_ it seems we have some business to attend to, shall we start by saying you must withdraw your HR complaint.”

Joe. _No no no no no no no no! Not Joe! Please not Joe._

_“_ Come on _Stumph,_ Take a seat, right here next to me!”

Patrick span on his heel, accusing finger pointing at Pete. “You were meeting him to discuss me! I can’t believe I even came looking for you!”

“Patrick please!”

“So Wentz, how much did we agree? Was it three thousand? I’ll give you five since you brought him here!” Joe’s smug grin wiped over his face.

“FIVE THOUSAND! HE WAS GOING TO PAY YOU FOR ME!”

“Patrick… please…” Pete craned his neck to look at Joe. “I don’t want it!”

“FOR FREE? Well I can’t leave you unrewarded for finding and returning my property!”

“NO” Pete snapped, turning his entire body to face Joe. Patrick began stamping off until Pete’s next words froze his feet. “NO! NOT FOR FREE! HE IS A GREAT INNOCENT MAN! AND YOU ARE JUST A CREEP YOU CAN KEEP YOUR FILTHY MONEY! AND YOU CAN GUARANTEE THAT IF YOU GO NEAR PATRICK, I WILL BEAT THE LIVING SHIT OUT OF YOU!”

_Why is Pete defending me?_ Patrick turned back to face him.

“You fucked him, didn’t you? You fucked MY PROPERTY!”

“NO! I didn’t!” Pete’s tone was like a knife, made to cut through the soft and the tough. “I didn’t, and you know why? Because I couldn’t do what you told me! Because I respect him as another HUMAN being! AND BECAUSE I ALMOST FUCKED PATRICK, NOT YOUR FUCKING PROPERTY! HE IS A HUMAN BEING, UNLIKE YOU, YOU ARE JUST A MONSTER.”

Joe jumped up and crowded over Patrick.

Pete pushed him away. Despite being two inches shorter than Joe, Pete was a lot stronger. Pete stood in front of Patrick defensively, a look of rage on his face. Patrick noticed Pete’s knuckles were already slightly bloodied, _has he been fighting? Did he punch something? Or someone?_ He slid his fingers between Pete’s and clasped Pete’s hand, Pete clasped his hand and gave a little comforting squeeze.

No matter what, Patrick has made his decision, he wants Pete. No girl, no money, nothing is changing his mind about Pete. He WANTS Pete! And he’s having Pete.

Joe grabbed around Pete, grabbing Patrick’s arm tightly, Patrick whimpered from the pain, knowing fully that because of his paleness, he is definitely going to have a bruise. Pete released his hand, long enough to swing back, punching Joe square in the face.

Pete became frenzied. Climbing on top of Joe, he continued throwing punches, shouting “that one was for Patrick!” after every swing. Joe’s face became battered. Pete raised his fist again and Patrick grabbed it, “Enough Pete! Please, let the police deal with him!” Pete softened at Patrick’s voice and turned, grabbing fistfuls of Joe’s shirt.

“PETE!”

“If you even think about touching him again, if you come NEAR his house, if you even breathe in his direction and it makes him uncomfortable, just remember to be prepared for Me and some of my little friends, got it? GOT IT?”

Joe nodded weakly, Patrick grabbed Pete’s arm and clung to Pete as he climbed off Joe. Patrick pulled his head to the side and kissed Pete, knowing how much it will hurt Joe to see it. He mumbled “ _Yours”_ into Pete’s ear, which made Pete grin.

“Hey Joe, he’s mine, but he’s not My Property! He’s my…”

“Boyfriend.” Patrick said loudly and proudly.

Pete grinned more and turned back to Joe, “Personal boyfriend bodyguard, touch him and I’ll break every bone in your body whilst naming them!”

Patrick pulled on Pete’s arm. And leaving the bloody Joe on the floor of the bar, walked out of the bar, and into the winter’s night. Together.


	7. You’re The One True Thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patrick wakes up alone... where is Pete?

Patrick woke up to an empty bed. No bedsheet. _It’s on the floor._ No clothes. _At least I’m in my boxers._ And more importantly to him, no Pete.

“Pete?” Patrick stood up and felt a sudden chill. He grabbed the bedsheet and wrapped it around his shoulders, making it drape down his back like a cloak.

“Petey?” He stepped out of the bedroom and walked towards the bathroom, and knocked on the door.

“Petey?” He spoke softly hoping not to scare Pete, but with no response he pushed the door open and found the room empty. Patrick tried not to cry, but his body betrayed him, and tears began to fall.

He walked to the kitchen and looked in the laundry room. There was no sign of Pete at all. It was like Patrick had dreamt Pete up because of the trauma of Joe. _I’m going to have to go to work and face Joe. And just pretend that Pete never existed. Trust me to dream up the most perfect man ever and then find out he never truly existed._

Patrick began to cry completely. Sniffling and wiping his face, he looked at the clock. _Ten to six. I’m awake ten minutes early. I’ll just go have a longer shower and cry._ Patrick could feel his heart breaking but still he had to go to work. He went back to his bedroom to get ready, treading on some paper which he ignored among with a couple other books.

He had his shower, ate his breakfast and set off for work. Stopping at the coffee shop, he spotted Andy.

“Hey Andy”

“PATRICK! My favourite customer, the usual I suppose?”

Patrick nodded and Andy got to work.

“I’m going to go sit there” and Patrick pointed to a corner booth.

A couple minutes later Andy brought over Patrick’s order and sat in front of him.

“Hey Buddy, you seem depressed, what’s up?”

“It’s stupid and you’ll think I’m crazy”

“Hey!” Andy sat next to Patrick, putting a comforting arm around his shoulders, “if it’s making you sad or depressed, it’s not stupid! And I won’t think you’re crazy because it clearly means something to you!”

Patrick sipped some of his drink, took a deep breath and began telling Andy everything that happened. Andy slammed his fist down on the table when Patrick told him about Joe.

“You aren’t crazy! You had a trauma and your brain tried to make you feel better by creating someone who was perfect for you!”

“I am crazy for believing he was real!”

Andy hugged Patrick and kept his arm around him. Andy is like a best friend to Patrick, so he felt safe and comforted, especially since he knew Andy was really strong and from the reaction he had when Patrick told him about Joe, he could count on Andy to protect him.

“So I got engaged a few days ago!”

Patrick almost spat his drink out and looked at Andy with wide eyes.

“You what? When?”

“Friday. That was the real reason I was off, I said I was sick because I want to keep my life private.”

“Oh my… Congratulations!!!”

Andy smiled weakly at Patrick.

“Anyway, I’ve gotta get to work Andy.”

“Okay, but you be safe! Any trouble and you come to me, okay?”

Patrick nodded and waved goodbye. _Time to face Joe._

When he got to the bookstore, there was no Joe. However there was a new trainee, the badge saying Patrick’s current position. The trainee looked up and Patrick was shocked to see Monica.

“Hello Patrique!” She waved enthusiastically. She suddenly blushed and corrected herself. “I mean, hello Boss!”

Patrick looked at her confused, then made his way up to the office. He raised his hand to knock and then froze. He read the sign on the door three times before it settled into his mind. Before he saw what it said.

**Manager: Patrick Stump.** There was no H at the end. Just how Patrick liked it.

He pushed open the door to find a wonderfully decorated office, unlike the cliched office Joe had. Unlike the office he was used to seeing. He sat in the chair and felt miserable. _Any minute now, Joe will burst through that door, say it’s all a prank and try to force himself on me again._

He sat for what felt like hours just waiting. _Nothing happened. Hmm?_ He tapped on the space bar to the computer.

It was completely reset. It’s like Joe never even existed.

“Maybe Joe never did exist… just like Pete” Patrick put his head on the desk and sniffled. A small tap on the door pulled him out of his crying fit.

“Come in”

“Hey… Why are you crying?”

“Just some personal trouble I don’t want to talk about!”

“Bad memories?”

“You could say that…” he wiped his face. “Anyway Monica, how can I help you”

“There’s someone downstairs for you! He says he has something for you”

“Could you send him up, I really don’t want our customers to see the manager like this”

“Sure thing Boss!”

Monica walked away, purposely swaying her hips, as if to try and catch Patrick’s attention, but Patrick paid no notice to Monica. He didn’t want her anymore!

He got a ping on his phone. _Andy!_ It was an invite that was to Andy’s wedding.

_“Mark your calendar, Patrick! I want you at my wedding! Ask your boss for time off, yeah?”_

Patrick picked up his phone and text him back.

“ _Boss says it’s fine!”_

_- **Replying…**_

_“Really? That quick? Did you even ask them?”_

He typed with a slight smile on his face.

_“You sent him the invite”_

**_-Replying…_ **

_“Dude wtf you talking about, I sent YOU the invite!”_

**_-Replying…_ **

_“Oh… OH! YOU’RE THE BOSS?!”_

_“Yeah! It seems Joe’s gone for good! I have the office and everything!”_

**_-Replying…_ **

_“That’s great!!! You don’t have to worry about him now! Now you can move on with your life!”_

_“I still want Pete!”_

**_-Replying…_ **

Patrick stared at the screen for ages, but no reply came through! _Back to work I go!_ The day soon ended and Patrick went home, crying himself until sleep.


	8. It’s Time For Me To Fall Apart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patrick is losing himself to a mad state of depression... WHERE IS PETE?

The next working week went pretty quickly. For everyone except Patrick. Patrick spent most of his days with his head on the desk, crying and not planning on stopping.

At around lunchtime, he manages to pull himself together to eat his cookie he got from the coffee shop.

After five whole days, there was a small tap on the door and Gabe walked in.

“Jesus Patrick! You look an absolute wreck!”

“Hi Gabe, how are you? Oh you’re good that’s good!” Patrick snapped sarcastically.

“Look man, I was worried about you! So is Andy!”

“Yeah, well there’s better ways to start a conversation than “ _you look an absolute wreck”_ isn’t it clear I’m wallowing?!”

Patrick slammed his three day old cookie on the desk.

“Dude that cookie is stale! How long ago did you get it?”

“About three days, it’s my lunch!”

Gabe shook his head, “tell me you eat something else with it?”

Patrick sighed and Gabe knew.

“Come on Man… I’ll get you something proper to eat!”

Gabe grabbed Patrick’s arm and pulled him up in a friendly way, and that’s when Gabe saw it. Well felt it!

Patrick had lost weight… too much weight for one week.

“Dude, how are you not in hospital! You’ve lost way too much weight!”

Patrick just rolled his eyes and took frail steps.

“Patrick, you smell bad, have you even been home? Like at all?”

“No…”

“Where the fuck have you been sleeping?”

“Slumped over the desk!”

Gabe brought him downstairs, and Monica squealed at the sight of Patrick.

“OH MY! Patrique!!! What has happened?”

“He hasn’t been eating properly!”

“Oh no! I shood have checked on ‘im”

Patrick groaned. He hates that he let himself fall this far but he feels to miserable to care.

Gabe ripped the Do Not Disturb sign off the office door.

“That’s it! I’m coming in everyday to check on you! And if I see that fucking Do Not Disturb sign again, I will burn it”

Patrick mumbled.

Gabe walked Patrick to the nearest restaurant and called over a waitress. He flirted with her a bit and then pointed to Patrick, explaining the situation. She took a look at Patrick and took pity.

“How about a booth near to the bathroom just in case he’s sick?”

The waitress nodded and escorted them over.

She brought menus and pointed to different meals that could make him feel better.

Gabe ordered as much as he could afford. He didn’t care if he couldn’t pay rent, it was now his life’s mission to look after Patrick.

He sat in the very private corner, feeding Patrick. Patrick however behaved like a toddler, pushing Gabe’s hand away continuously until Gabe grabbed his wrists in one hand and pushed the food into his mouth.

Once the food was in his mouth, Patrick was grown up about it and ate.

Once Patrick ate as much food as he could stomach, Gabe took him home.

He flopped into his bed and Gabe tucked him in.

“Patrick I’m seriously worried about you!”

“Don’t be!”

“Yes be! Look at you! You look like a zombie!”

“Meh” Patrick waved his hand weakly.

“Okay, after you’ve had a good sleep, you’ll feel better. So tomorrow, I’ll come visit you and I’ll help you bath and we’ll focus on getting you better!”

“You aren’t seeing me naked!”

“Patrick! I know I’m bisexual but no offence, I’m not attracted to you! So yes I will help you bath… unless you’d rather I got that perky little brunette at the bookstore to do it for you?”

“NO! Fine! Fine, you can bath me tomorrow!”

Gabe grinned. “Okay, well I’m going to go home tonight to get clothes so I can stay on the couch while we get you healthy!”

Patrick groaned and turned onto his side.

“What if…”

“Don’t you even dare say what I think you’re going to say. Because I will not let that happen!”

“But what if it…”

“JUST NO” Gabe pulled the blanket up and Patrick soon fell asleep.


	9. Until Your Breathing Stops

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patrick dies... almost...

Patrick slept in later than he expected. And Gabe wasn’t around. _Did he forget? Did he get home okay?_ Patrick shook his head and climbed out of bed.

“Gabe said to have a bath. So… I’ll have a bath, and I’ll feel much better and I’ll get something to eat.”

He ran the bath, and once it was full, he climbed in and started cleaning his face first. He rubbed soap on his face and lean back into the water, submerging his face.

He rubbed the soap off his face until…

He felt a hand grip his hair and push his head to the bottom of the bath. Someone was trying to drown him. _They’re gripping my hair so there’s no marks and it just looks like I was too frail to lift myself up._ Patrick tried every method he could to get the hand out of his hair.

For a brief moment he thought he was going to just die. Until, the hand in his pulled his head up and Patrick gasped for air, his lungs burning.

“Hello Patrick! Need some help?”

“J-J-Joe!” Patrick coughed out water.

“Hiya slut! Thought you’d escaped me, huh?”

Patrick launched himself to the edge of the bath, trying to support himself.

“Oh no, no, no, my dear little slut, if I can’t have you… then no one can!” With a wolffish sly grin, Joe forced Patrick’s head back into the water, and Patrick clawed at his arms again.

_How did an innocent bath lead to this?! Why is Joe doing this to me? Why can’t he move on from me? I’m going to die… I can’t fight him, I’m too weak! It’s inevitable! I’m actually going to die! I should just give up… there’s no point! Go to your happy place, brain, at least if we’re going to die, we can die even remotely happy._ Patrick gave in, letting go. _No point in fighting!_

He felt his body getting limp and his lungs burned. He didn’t notice the hand leaving his hair. He didn’t see Gabe rip Joe off of him. He didn’t feel Gabe pull him out of the bath and into his lap. He could barely hear Gabe shouting his name. He felt himself slipping away. His vision was already blurring.

The shouting continued. Gabe was shaking him, trying to wake him up.

“It’s too late, Gabe…” Patrick mumbled weakly.

“Fucking call me Gabe again and I swear the minute you’re completely conscious I’ll fucking deck you! Now stay the fuck with me!”

Patrick barely noticed what was said. He didn’t feel anything. His body was numb. Until…

He felt a slight pressure against his lips, a mouth he knew, a mouth he thought wasn’t real.

“Baby, stay with me!”

_PETE! ITS PETE! HES HERE! HES REAL!_

Suddenly Patrick’s body fought harder. Pushed as far as it could. He opened his eyes as wide as he could get them. Pete’s warm golden hand was cupping his cheek as Pete cradled Patrick in his lap, begging Patrick to stay with him.

“Y-You’re real! You’re real-eally h-here!”

Pete’s light chuckle filled the room. Patrick pushed as hard as he could, forcing himself to cough and sometimes forcing himself to gag.

Pete rested his forehead again Patrick’s.

“I’m so sorry this happened to you, I wish I could have stopped it, I wish I’d got here sooner, please stay with me”

Patrick looked over to the sound of struggling, where police were detaining Joe and Paramedics were rushing into the room to sort Patrick. Pete carried Patrick downstairs, where a stretcher was waiting, and placed Patrick down, clutching Patrick’s hand tightly while the paramedics rushed Patrick into the ambulance.

Through the tiny window, Pete could see Joe being pushed into the back of a police van. Patrick gripped Pete’s hand with as much strength as he could, which wasn’t a lot because of how frail he was. Pete draped his leather jacket over Patrick, who was completely naked, considering he was having a bath.

Patrick could feel the warmth of Pete’s jacket.

“Patrick?! OH MY GOD!” Gabe rushed over to them “What happened?!”

A female paramedic tapped Gabe on the shoulder.

“I’m sorry but only one person can ride in the ambulance with the patient, who’s in charge of this man?”

Gabe looked at Pete. He looked at how Pete was slumped forward, resting his head on Patrick’s shoulder and gripping Patrick’s hand whilst brushing the hair on his forehead.

“He is” Gabe climbed out of the ambulance and got into his own car, leaving Pete and Patrick together.

“Petey…”

“I’m here! I’m always here! I promise I won’t let anyone hurt you ever again!”

“Petey… I love you” Pete smiled and kissed Patrick’s forehead.

“I love you too! Stay with me please!”

Patrick gripped Pete’s wrist and Pete flinched. He saw the marks on Pete’s wrists. _Rope burns._

“Petey… what happened to you?”

“There was an emergency at my mother’s, I left a note… I know it was a shitty thing to just leave a note but I really had to leave. But the truth, it was a trick and Joe got me!”

Patrick thought back to the paper he had stood on. The one he picked up and threw away without looking at it.

“I never saw your note.”

Patrick weakly tugged on the paramedic’s shirt and pointed to Pete’s wrists.

She took Pete’s arms, putting cream on the burns and then bandaging them.

Patrick clung to Pete’s hands the minute the paramedic was done wrapping them.

They pulled up to the hospital and put Patrick into a semi private room. Semi private meaning there were two beds. Meaning Pete can stay. Pete was admitted into the hospital while the burns were healing, and every minute they had, Pete climbed into bed with Patrick, cuddling him, sometimes falling asleep together. None of the nurses objected to Pete and Patrick sharing the bed. It wasn’t hard to figure out they were in love and together.

Pete and Patrick exchanged stories of what happened during the weeks they were apart. Patrick almost cried at the thought of Pete being stuck, unable to get back to him. He hated that he had been doubting Pete when in reality he was in trouble.

Pete poked Patrick, asking if he was okay.

“Yeah I’m fine!” He smiled up at Pete. He then frowned. “But there is something I need to tell you.”

“What’s up?”

“Well… Y’know when we almost… a week ago before I kicked you out?”

Pete nodded, his face frowning in confusion. “Well… you said something like “you say that like it’s your first time. Well…um…”

“You’re a virgin.” Patrick nodded, almost bursting into tears again, Pete smiled down at him and rubbed his arm comfortingly. “Patrick, I know… I don’t care if you are, it actually means more to me that you were going to let me take it!”

“Wait, you knew?!” Pete chuckled at Patrick, sounding sweet to him.

“Yeah, I knew. I kinda figured out you were nervous from all the stuttering, your reaction to my finger kinda put the pieces together for me, it’s okay!”

They cuddled, clinging to each other like the other was their own personal life support. They slowly fell asleep together. _Patrick and Pete… I like that!_


	10. Bruises On Your Thighs Like My Fingerprints

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pete and Patrick are back home! Together!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last Chapter!

Two weeks passed in a blink of an eye for Pete and Patrick. And Pete was still in the hospital, he refused to leave Patrick’s side at night.

_“I’m not leaving him! I will sleep on the floor if necessary! I’m staying!”_

Patrick had fully recovered from the incident with Joe, and was on the last few days of being checked over before he was discharged.

Pete went out everyday, calling Patrick asking him what he wanted to eat or drink, even getting him new clothes. Unknown to Patrick, Pete was spending all the money Joe had given him to buy a new door handle for the one he’d broken. He cleaned the entire house. He made sure to be clean 30 minutes before the visiting hours started.

He even bought a car, a sleek black Porsche Carrera. He got his license legally, and he brought the little belongings he had, putting them in the back of his car. Pete prided himself as “the best learner driver” the instructor had ever taught.

Pete wanted to use the bad money he got, for almost ruining Patrick’s life, for good! To make Patrick’s life better.

He went to the coffee shop and learnt Patrick’s order. He even became friends with Andy and Gabe. He sat down with his order when Andy first came over with a serious face and sat across from him.

_“You must be Pete”_

_“That is me! I guess you’re… Andy right?”_

_Andy nodded. “Can I get your advice Andy?_

_“Sure!”_

_“I assume Patrick told you all about me, and my association with Joe”_

_“He did”_

_“Well… Joe payed me ten thousand for it. And I know it was intended payment for Patrick, but do you think it’s a bad idea to use it to make his life better? Or should I get a job and earn the money? I really want to prove myself to Patrick.”_

_Andy shuffled in his seat and relaxed. “Pete, you already proved yourself to him when you chose not to go through with what Joe told you to do to him!_

_You also saved him from Joe twice! Hell you even beat the shit out of that creep and you did it all for Patrick, right?”_

_Pete sipped his drink and nodded, humming a yes while his mouth was full._

_“Then I say, don’t try to prove yourself to him, because you already did and honestly, I support you guys! Patrick loves you!” Andy got up to go back to work. “Oh, and I’d say use the money, or else it’s just going to sit there doing nothing! Patrick would want you to use it, you did kinda earn it, to be honest!”_

_“Hey Andy!” Andy turned back to Pete. “Thanks! I’m glad Patrick had friends like you!... Also, what’s his usual order? I thought I might take it to him”_

_Andy smiled back at Pete. “I’m glad Patrick has a boyfriend like you! I haven’t ever seen him happier and I’ve known him for years! I’ll get you his order!”_

_Andy came back in a few minutes. He had two drinks in his hands. “Two Hot Chocolates, one with extra cinnamon and two cookies” Pete went to pull his wallet out when Andy held up a hand. “It’s on the house Bro!”_

_“Thanks! Again!” Pete stood up and shook hands with Andy, picking up the hot chocolates and rushing out to his car._

_Andy looked in his hand. **A twenty note.** “Sneaky little fucker! I can definitely see why Patrick likes him!”_

Pete drummed on his legs, waiting for the nurse to hurry up with the discharge papers.

“Sign here and you’re free to go Mr. Stump”

The minute Patrick had Pete’s jacket on, he was led outside to the car park.

“So… Taxicab?”

“Nah, hold this a second, would you, love?” Patrick took the drink and Pete patted his pockets.

“Ah! Found them!” He pulled out his keys and unlocked the Porsche.

“THAT is NOT YOUR car! There is no way!” Pete smirked at Patrick’s protests.

“It is my car, I got a legal license too!” Pete opened the back of the car and placed the backpack of Patrick’s stuff in with his stuff.

“Is that all you have? And why is it in the back of your car?”

“Well, I didn’t wanna just immediately assume you wanted me to live in your house, I’ve been looking at places to buy so I could start a proper life.”

“Pete, you dummy! Of course I want you to live with me!”

Pete closed the back and took his drink back, walking to the passenger side to open the door for Patrick.

Patrick climbed in, placing his drink in the cup holder as Pete climbed into the driver’s seat. “Want some food?”

Patrick’s eyes lit up. “God, Pete… what would I have done without you?”

“Probably starved yourself again”

“Wait… what?”

Pete pulled the car over in a pit stop. He turned to Patrick, almost pouting.

“Gabe told me. Patrick, even I HAD not existed, why on Earth would you do THAT! Love, I know you love me, but I’m not worth dying over”

“YOU MOST CERTAINLY ARE! I would die for you over and over! Y-You were actually what I was thinking about when Joe tried to drown me. I gave up because th—”

_“_ Wait, you gave up? You were actually going to let him kill you?”

“I couldn’t fight! I was too weak!”

Pete started the car again. “No one is ever going to hurt you ever again, I promise!” He grabbed Patrick’s hand and drove back to Patrick’s house.

When he pulled up, Patrick groaned and rolled his eyes at his mother standing on the porch waiting for him. _Thank Goodness for the tinted windows._ He grabbed Pete hand and pulled Pete down.

“Hey!”

“I don’t want my mother to see us and think you are just a friend, because she’ll shoo you off and honestly I don’t really wanna see her right now!”

“Patrick, she’s your mother! You can’t hide me from her forever!”

“No… I can’t…” Patrick smirked.

“Whatever you’re planning, NO!”

Patrick pouted, “aww… damn I was hoping she’d catch us making out, maybe like with you shirtless and stood between my leg whilst I’m sat on the worktop”

Pete groaned, he very much liked that idea. “Fine! But how do we get in?”

Patrick opened the door. _Fuck! She saw me!_

Pete saw his mother approaching from the car. He tugged off his shirt, making a Beeline for Patrick, he grabbed his jaw and locked Patrick in a breath taking kiss. He slid his hands under Patrick’s thighs and lifted him, pressing Patrick’s back against the passenger window of the Porsche and Patrick wrapped his arms around Pete’s neck.

“Ahem!” Patrick glanced over to his mother, who was giving a disapproving glare to them both. He slowly pushed himself down. And Pete turned with a smile.

“Hi! You must be Patrick’s sister!” Pete held out his hand, his smile clearly fake, and Patrick’s mother shook it.

“Actually I’m Patrick’s mother and you must be Peter?”

“Really? You look wayyy to young to be Patrick’s mother!”

“Pete!” Patrick shouted in a whisper “stop with the flattery bullshit! You’re fooling no one!”

“I am indeed Peter, but I prefer Pete, but you may call me whatever you like! As you can see, I’m very much in love with your son! And I promise that nothing bad will ever happen to your little Stumpalumpa as long as I’m around”

“PETE! I know I’m small but don’t nickname me with an umpalumpa!”

Patrick’s mother had no words, she nodded and began walking away.

“MOM! Wait! You’re not mad at me, are you?”

“No Tricky, I’m not mad, I just know that you and Peter will want some alone time, since he’s already half undressed”

Patrick blushed violently. His thighs burned where Pete’s hands were. _I’m going to have bruises! But at least it’s Pete’s hands that made them!_

“Come on, Love!”

Patrick’s mother had left, leaving Patrick exactly where he wanted to be. _ALONE WITH PETE!_

_“_ I’m not particularly hungry anymore, I just wanna go to sleep in my own bed! _”_

“Okay, Love” Pete wrapped his arm around Patrick’s shoulders. Once through the front door, Pete lifted Patrick into a bridal style carry, and carried Patrick upstairs, placing him on the bed gently.

Patrick wiggled out of his jeans, whilst Pete did the same.

“Is it okay if I keep my shirt on?”

“Of course, Love! Whatever makes you comfortable”

Pete was once again down to his boxers, and Patrick slipped into the blankets next to him. _This! This is what home feels like!_ Patrick nuzzled his face into the caramel and ink skin of Pete’s chest. They felt perfect together. They fit together more perfectly than any other thing in the world. And very slowly, the warmth of Pete’s chest soothed Patrick into a silent slumber, dragging Pete along with him at the sound and sight of his own rise and fall of sleeping breaths.

**Author's Note:**

> Finished!
> 
> Thanks for reading! I’m sorry if it’s terrible, it’s my first Fic!


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